it's a big sum of money. so we spend it in our expenditure levels, defense department, all the way through the agriculture department, everything in between, and we forgive or don't collect the same amount in the tax code. so who benefits from that? well, let's look at the basics. 70% of american taxpayers do not itemize on their tax returns. they file the standard return. they don't itemize. so the tax code doesn't mean anything to them. if there is a special deduction, unless it was a refundable tax credit -- rare category -- it doesn't help them. 70% of americans don't touch it. what are the biggest deductions under the u.s. tax code today? i in all my wisdom and education and experience on capitol hill, i raised my hand to the teacher and said well, it's the mortgage interest deduction, right? wrong. the biggest single deduction is the employers exclusion for health care premiums. so employers are able to exclude from income the amount of money they spend for health insurance for their employees. that's t